Doomscroll with Joshua Citarella

My guest is Jack Wagner, a writer & director, host of the Otherworld podcast and one of my all time favorite posters. We discuss his experience of creative life on the internet and explore the many esoteric belief systems that have grown out of social media. We see a trend of increasing irrationality in a complex world. At the end we pay homage to one of the greatest memes ever made. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshuacitarella.substack.com/subscribe

My guest is Caleb Cain or Faraday Speaks as he is known online. In 2019, Caleb Cain posted a video on YouTube called “My Descent into the Alt-Right Pipeline”. In the video, he described his first person experience of online radicalization. It quickly went viral. Soon after, Cain was profiled in The New York Times in a piece titled “The Making of a YouTube Radical”. In 2020, he was featured again by the New York Times in the popular Rabbit Hole podcast. Today, he joins us to tell his side of the story. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshuacitarella.substack.com/subscribe

Amber A'Lee Frost, a writer and co-host of the Chapo Trap House podcast, dives into the complexities of today's political landscape. She critiques the dysfunctional left and explores how online culture influences youth political identities. Frost challenges perceptions of labor and generational responsibility, discussing the romanticization of past movements. The conversation also touches on building authentic communities and the impact of differing ideologies in personal spaces like therapy, all while advocating for practical solutions to societal issues.

Matty Healy, frontman of The 1975, dives into the complexities of modern pop culture and internet aesthetics. He discusses the influence of Mark Fisher's theories, particularly the 'slow cancellation of the future’ concept. The conversation highlights the evolution of masculinity and identity in today's digital landscape, exploring the challenges artists face in balancing authenticity and commercial success. Healy critiques the commodification of art and examines how social media reshapes cultural production, all while advocating for genuine emotional expressions amidst societal cynicism.

Yung Chomsky is the producer of the TrueAnon podcast, creator of the mobile app Phomo, and a natural athlete with 16 years of experience. We discuss his personal journey of learning to lift online while exploring exercise subcultures via forums and message boards. We sort the facts from fictions and discuss the tenuous connections between weight lifting and far right politics. This is the lifting episode. We’re all gonna make it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshuacitarella.substack.com/subscribe

My guest is comedian Peter James Fowler. He joins me to discuss his political meme account that he ran at age 11. I’ve spent the last few years interviewing young people who make radical posts online. Peter shares his journey from growing up in evangelical Christianity, to new atheism, and from Trump to Bernie. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshuacitarella.substack.com/subscribe

My guest is artist and geographer Trevor Paglen. His groundbreaking work links new technological developments to larger political issues that are often secret or unseen. We discuss the emerging paradigm of "psyops capitalism", the history of the CIA's MK Ultra psychological operations and how magic shapes our perception of reality. These technologies culminate to form a new economic order of private surveillance, manipulation and financial extraction. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshuacitarella.substack.com/subscribe

My guest is ‪JJ McCullough a YouTuber who was previously a TV political commentator and columnist at the Washington Post. We discuss generational shifts from the political left to right, explore the state of alternative media and debate the origins of right-wing populism. While we disagree on some core issues, we always grant each other the space to fully argue an idea. My analysis and understanding is strengthened through our on-going dialogues. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshuacitarella.substack.com/subscribe

My guest is Jreg or Greg Guevara as he is known offline. Jreg is a popular YouTube creator who explores online radical politics. He joins me to discuss our shared fascination with incredibly niche ideologies that only exist online. We explore social atomization as a political project and agree that taking the friend pill is the best advice you can find. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshuacitarella.substack.com/subscribe

In this chat, Catherine Liu, a professor at UC Irvine and author of 'Virtue Hoarders,' dives into the origins of trauma studies and the depoliticization of trauma in today’s narrative culture. She critiques the professional managerial class and its disconnect from the working class, examining how moral superiority shapes politics. Liu addresses the evolution of leftist thought, the impacts of neoliberalism, and the cultural implications of job precarity in the medical field. A fascinating exploration of class, authenticity, and the shifting landscape of American ideology!